Bicycle Lingering

We always talk about bicycle travel. But what about bicycle lingering?

Bicycle lingering is that ability to stop forward motion, pause, and soak up what is around you.

Cafes. Ice cream parlors. Roadside restaurants. City parks. Riverside picnic tables. They all call out for you to park your bike and linger.

I am amazed at how many bike travelers hop on their bikes for a day's ride and rarely stop. Sure, they might stop to fix a flat or to take off a jacket, or to pause to look at their map. But "lingering" isn't in their vocabulary. They zoom to their next destination and check into a hotel or campsite.

What's the hurry? As far as I know there is no podium to stand on at the end of a day of bike travel.

Unlike a bicycle race, I believe it is more likely for the participant who arrives last at the end of a day's ride, to have reaped the most rewards.